


Moonlight

by koiffish



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-13 13:06:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13571178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koiffish/pseuds/koiffish
Summary: A local girl plans to run away to be with a fae princess.





	1. Chapter 1

The door creaked open silently. The warm glow of the fire from the hearth slithered through the crack and vanished as the door was shut.

Nico walked quietly, taking the familiar path towards the forest that her parents had warned her to steer clear of. But she was not afraid. And they were wrong. She had been there numerous times, there were no monsters or beasts. Only deer and birds and those beautiful creatures that comes out whenever the moon is full.

Like tonight.

Nico walked faster, spurred by the thought. Grass tickled her bare feet. The ground was damp from the rain this afternoon, and the forest looming ahead was blanketed with a heavy mist like an overprotective mother wary of all the secrets it holds.

She paused to inhale the night. The weather had been harsh these past few days and it should have been cold, but Nico couldn’t feel it even if she’s only wearing her nightdress.

A breeze blew, carrying her long dark hair in a sweeping current. Overhead, the quiet moon hung low, casting shadows beneath the trees; droplets of water on blades of grass glittered as they reflected the moonlight.

Nico stopped on the edge of the trees fringing the woods and stood waiting patiently.

She didn’t have to wait long. A moment later, the fairy hunt arrived.

The tall, muscular silver horses with golden eyes walked in a steady pace, never breaking their formation. Their riders were in an equally relaxed state, proudly astride with back straight and shoulders squared.

Nico drew a sharp breath as soon as the hunt came to view. She could never get used to them no matter how many times she’d seen them before.

They were beautiful in every sense of the word. Silky silver hair cascaded down their broad shoulders, eyes as mystical as the moon itself, lips like a sweet pink rose in bloom, pale skin without a single blemish or flaw, bodies perfectly boned and muscled. The air seemed to shimmer with their very presence.

The leader of the hunt climbed down from his horse in a single smooth move. He was tall and lovely, dressed in a vest made of the finest silver and golden threads, intricately embroidered with vines and leaves and stags. On his back a sturdy longbow was strapped with a lone arrow. At his side was a jeweled dagger.

He stood between Nico and the hunting party, and suddenly the horses parted and a female rider emerged from within.

Nico’s heartbeat raced as the figure climbed down gracefully and glided towards her, stopping just a step in front of the stunned girl.

Her hair was golden, her enigmatic eyes sapphire, her scent intoxicating, and her flowing dress adorned with crystallized flowers glimmered in the night.

The princess of the fae came, just like what she promised from the last full moon. She looked gorgeous and more beautiful than ever.

The lady’s lips curved to a teasing smile. Her delicate hands touched Nico’s cold cheeks, warming them with her palms.

Nico whispered. “You came.”

“My word is my life.”

“Take me with you, please…”

Nico closed her eyes as the princess’ breath blew against her lips.

“Not yet, my dear,” the fae replied almost sympathetically. “You are not yet of age.”

“I will be in a fortnight,” Nico pleaded.

“Then I will come for you on the next full moon.”

Nico opened her eyes and looked deeply into those blue orbs, searching the sincerity in them.

“Do you promise to take me with you?”

The young heiress of the fae kingdom laughed and Nico wished she could listen to it forever.

“Take my word,” the princess leaned down and took Nico’s mouth with her own, playfully nipping at her lower lip. “It is my life.”

“I will be waiting,” Nico said breathlessly and held the hands cupping her cheeks.

“I know that you will,” the princess whispered and kissed her again.

The hunting horn blew. It sounded lonely and far away, signaling the end to the hunt.

“I will come back for you.”

The promise was made in haste but it was a promise all the same.

The fae released her reluctantly and got up on her horse, the leader of the hunt followed suit and soon enough the hunting party was riding back to their own world. The world Nico longed to see and live in.

Someday.

Nico turned around and walked back to her parents’ house just as the dark sky was graying and the birds waking up.

In two weeks is her birthday, and immediately after that, her father will present a young and suitable bachelor that she will have to marry and be her husband.

But she took the princess’ words and held it tightly in her heart.

After all, it was her life.


	2. Daylight pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the local girl and the fae princess first met.

Nico crouched down on the ground, inspecting a root carefully before pulling it off the earth. She stashed it inside the herbal basket her mother had given her and stood up, then made her way to the edge of the forest where most of the herbs they gather grew in abundance.

She was selecting the best purple flowers from a plant that could either numb a man's pain or render him paralyze when she heard someone singing.

Nico froze and then looked around in a hurry. There was no one in sight. Whoever they were must be inside the woods. But no one goes into the woods out of their own volition, that person must have a ton of courage or a ton of stupidity - for as beautiful as the land appeared, its dark reputation preceded it.

Her curiosity overrode everything else and Nico stepped in the forest.

But as soon as she was inside, she felt as if she was transported to another world entirely. The sun rays barely penetrated the thick canopy of ancient gnarly trees but what little light escaped were able to magnify the colors a thousandfold. Fuzzy green moss carpeted the forest floor, elaborately patterned butterflies flitted among exotic weeds and flowers; even the air was cooler, sweeter, and strange.

It was ethereal.

Nico realized that she had been holding her breath for a while now but she was afraid to break the fragility of the majestic view before her, just in case that a tiny whiff of breath will cause it to dissolve into nothingness.

She would have stood there for a long time if not for the singing from before, it floated back to her and she was able to pinpoint where it was coming from.

Not far from where she entered was a grove of oak trees in a loose circle, at the center of them all was a pond sparkling under the bright daylight- almost like the trees parted their branches just so that the cerulean sky above be visible for the pleasure of the lone soul who was half-in the waters and lazily singing to the woods.

Nico found a nearby boulder covered in moss and ducked behind it. She put her basket aside and as quietly as she could peeked over her hiding place, and at the same time feeling like a perverted person for doing so.

The girl has her back to Nico and seemed oblivious of her presence. Her long golden hair drifted in idle waves around her and she sang in a voice that reminded Nico of wind chimes.

 

_"But listen to me pretty maid, I only need your love_

_and even if I wanted to, my heart just cannot stop_

_the earth and sky are nothing, my world is in your eyes_

_oh darling just your memory is keeping me alive..."_

 

The girl continued humming the tune and Nico could not tear her eyes away from the bathing stranger.

There was a rustling sound in one of the bushes a little ways from the pond and both of their attention were turned to it. The girl has stopped humming and Nico crouched down a little lower to better hide herself, but when she shifted her gaze to the pond once again, the girl was nowhere.

"Are you spying on me?"

The girl was now standing behind her and garbed in a pale silk robe that covered most of her skin.

Nico jumped back in surprise and was certain that her heart has stopped beating from the shame of being discovered.

"I-I…" she stammered, she then bowed her head and blushed madly. "A-apologies, ma'am. I didn't mean to-"

"I should hope not," the stranger eyed her reprovingly and cocked her head to a side. "It is bad form you know, man or woman, to spy on another especially if the subject is naked and unaware."

"I heard singing and the song is not familiar," Nico tried to explain but rushing too fast that she was stumbling over her words. "I didn't mean to spy on you, ma'am, clothed or otherwise. But what I did was wrong, a hundred apologies."

The girl smiled after a while and her eyes gleamed. "Very well, I forgive you. I am not meant to be here at this time of the day but I couldn't resist. It is such a beautiful afternoon for a ride and I saw the pond, the water was so clear..." she trailed off when she noticed that Nico was just gaping at her.

"Are you well?"

Nico swallowed loudly and averted her stare. Why was she so slow in noting that the girl's appearance did not seem common? Her hair was a little too golden, her skin glowed in the warm sunlight, and her eyes..

Nico's mother had warned her enough of the beings from the otherworlds - the ones that could haunt your dreams, the ones with fangs and claws and talons, and the ones of the golden castles and silver tongues.

"I have to go now," Nico took her basket in a hurry causing several of the herbs to fall out. "My mother expects me."

"Wait," the girl matched her strides as she walked away. "What is your name?"

"I'm sorry but my mother has told me not to talk to strangers," Nico tried to walk faster but the girl didn't seem to have any trouble keeping up.

"Silly," the girl laughed. "If you won't talk to strangers, how will you make any friends?"

Nico didn't answer but instead ran as fast as she could through the dense vegetation and tangled roots of large trees dominating the woods. Time and time again she'd almost trip but all she could think of was to get out of there as quick as her feet would have her.

"My name is Karolina!"

Nico stopped running just a shy away from the edge of the forest. She slowly turned around and faced the girl who was silently following her.

"Now you know my name so I'm not a stranger anymore," her eyes twinkled playfully. "May I know yours?"

“I can’t,” Nico replied, she took a step back as the girl – Karolina – took one forward.

“Why not?”

“Because…” Nico had to rack her brain for a plausible explanation. “Because names have powers.”

Karolina gave her a cryptic smile. “I just gave you mine.”

Nico nodded, “It is rather foolish of you, if I’m being honest.”

“Maybe,” Karolina’s smile widened as she took another step towards the other girl, but she didn’t dare follow when Nico finally crossed the line between the forest and the meadow. “Will I see you again?”

Nico looked down on her feet, just realizing that she was back on _their_ land. The smell of the air was familiar once more and she could feel the heat of the sun on her skin.

“Will I see you again?” Karolina repeated the question, her pale hand grazing the rough bark of the last tree separating their lands.

“Maybe,” Nico turned around to begin her journey home.

“Will you give me your name if we meet again?” Karolina asked, hopeful.

“If you can cross here,” Nico gestured to the ground she was standing on. “Only then, I will give you my name.”

An expression of uncertainness passed through Karolina’s features, but it was gone in a second. She held her chin up and a quirky grin found its way to her lips.

“Till we meet again, then, pretty maid,” she dipped in a half-curtsy and retreated back to the trees, humming the tune of her song.

+

"Greetings, pretty maid."

Nico looked up and quickly brushed her eyes with the back of her hand. She sniffed once as scrambled up and turned her back to the girl of the forest.

“Are you crying?”

Karolina’s face was filled with concern as she tried to look at Nico who was doing her best to hide her tears.

“I am most certainly not,” Nico replied, voice still thick from sobbing for almost an hour.

“You most certainly are,” Karolina leaned against a tree trunk and dug something out of her dress. “Here, take this.”

Nico just stared at a hanky being offered by the girl, to take it she would have to cross to the forest. “I cannot take things from strangers-”

“I am not a stranger!” Karolina quipped. She was definitely, at some level, irritated.

“You are…” Nico faced her, dried tears on her cheeks.

Her eyes wandered to girl of the forest who was wearing a simple dress that came to her knees, hair carefully braided down to her waist, a pair of soft hunting boots covered her feet. She may not be blatant about it but opulence and lavish upbringing leaked from every pore of her being. Nico could see it clearly, not because she was familiar with it, but because she was oh so familiar with the opposite.

With ill-fitted clothes and shoes that will not last long, she held the last bit of her pride and refused the hanky.

“You are a stranger.”

Karolina sighed as she saw the hurt in Nico’s eyes, her hand gripping the hanky fell limply to her side. “We might have come from different places but that does not mean we cannot be friends.”

“They call me-” Nico swallowed the lump in her throat. “They call me the witch’s daughter. Will you still want to be friends with me?”

“My dear,” Karolina offered the hanky for the second time. “It will be my honor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter in a rush (my spare time is scarce this week)  
> I will do better next time. Thank you.


End file.
